Expanding the toolbox for Trypanosoma cruzi: A parasite line incorporating a bioluminescence-fluorescence dual reporter and streamlined CRISPR/Cas9 functionality for rapid in vivo localisation and phenotyping

Fig 3

Fluorescent detection of parasites in the bloodstream, heart and spleen of mice during the acute stage of infection.

A. Fluorescent trypomastigotes observed in the bloodstream on day 13 post-infection. Blood was fixed with 2% paraformaldehyde in PBS and examined by fluorescence microscopy. Bar indicates 10 μm. B. A parasite nest in cardiac muscle (day 13). The right-hand panel shows the boxed area at higher magnification. Bar indicates 10 μm in both sets of images. C. Parasite clusters in the spleen from the same mouse as in B. Some of these parasites appear to be damaged, suggesting that they may be under immunological attack. The left-hand panel shows the boxed area at higher magnification; the bar indicates 20 μm. In the right-hand panel, the bar represents 50 μm.